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Svalbard Expedition Svalbard Expedition Mikko Siikavesi Bachelor’s Thesis Degree programme in Tourism 2015 Abstract Date of presentation Degree programme Author or authors Year of entry Mikko Siikavesi 2011 Title of thesis Number of report Svalbard Expedition pages and attachment pages 37 + 0 Thesis advisor(s) Eva Holmberg This thesis is a written report on how to organise a trip for a small group of people. This thesis was commissioned by HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences and the author of this thesis is tourism student from the Bachelor Degree Programme in Tourism Mikko Siikavesi. The objective of this thesis was to organise a trip to Svalbard for a small group of peo- ple. The purpose was to arrange a successful trip for the customers. In the future this trip could be implemented by any tour operator. A theoretical framework was based on literature of Polar Tourism and Tourism in pe- ripheral areas as well as a guidebook of Svalbard. The activities that were implemented in this thesis can be sub-categorised as adventure tourism. Polar Tourism remains the main category because activities were executed in polar region. The aim of this thesis was to take a deeper look of how an independent tour operator can work in Svalbard. Which problems may occur and what rules and regulations may apply for non-resident tour operators. Also subjects such as how polar tourism is affecting the fragile environment are covered in this thesis. As a result of this thesis can be said that there are some restrictions for non-resident independent tour operators working in Svalbard. Many of the remote cabins that could be used for overnight base camps are not rented outside of the local tour operators. There are also restrictions for snowmobile routes for non-resident tour operators. Some routes are only available for unaccompanied visitors if they are taking part on an organised tour or accompanying a permanent resident. This thesis will give you an idea of things to consider when planning a trip to Svalbard. Keywords Polar Tourism, Tour Operating, Adventure Tourism, Environment Table of contents 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3 2 Svalbard ................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 General Information ................................................................................................... 5 2.2 History .......................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Svalbard as a destination ............................................................................................ 7 2.4 Arctic Flora and Fauna ............................................................................................... 9 2.5 Climate & Weather ...................................................................................................... 9 3 Polar Tourism ..................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Tourism Sectors ......................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Tourism affecting the environment ........................................................................ 14 3.3 Polar Bears ................................................................................................................. 15 4 Planning The Expedition .................................................................................................. 18 4.1 Itinerary ...................................................................................................................... 18 4.2 Special preparations .................................................................................................. 19 4.3 Schedule ...................................................................................................................... 20 5 The Svalbard Expedition................................................................................................... 21 5.1 Day 1: Arrival ............................................................................................................. 21 5.2 Day 2: Boat Trip to Pyramiden ............................................................................... 23 5.3 Day 3: Trollstein over Lars glacier .......................................................................... 26 5.4 Day 4: Foxfonna (Skiing) ......................................................................................... 32 5.5 Day 5: Adventfjorden (Skiing) ................................................................................. 34 6 Post Expedition .................................................................................................................. 35 7 References ........................................................................................................................... 36 2 1 Introduction Svalbard is remote archipelago located in the far arctic. The largest wilderness area in the Europe is now accessible affordably from Scandinavia. This thesis gives any indi- vidual traveller or independent tour operator who is planning a trip to Svalbard an idea of what to expect and things to consider. This thesis introduces travelling to Svalbard from an independent traveller point of view. This Svalbard expedition thesis gives a brief introduction of where Svalbard is located, about its history, and what to expect when travelling to Svalbard. It will give a traveller an idea of things to do in Svalbard as well as where to stay. It will give an idea of the price range Svalbard contains what comes to accommodation and activities. This thesis has information about rules and regulations of renting, handling and carrying a firearm which in Svalbard is essential since you are not allowed to leave the settlement without one. Weather and climate and what hazard comes with it are also covered in this thesis. All the members of the group in this thesis are experienced travellers and have done various trips both on northern and southern hemisphere. So this thesis does not item- ize passport, personal hygiene products or travel insurance, etc. as a gear that should be taken into consideration when planning a trip. These are considered as travel necessi- ties in this thesis. A theory of polar tourism and what benefits and challenges it brings to the fragile arc- tic environment will be covered in this thesis. It will give you a brief introduction of polar bears and their habitat as well as what to do and things to consider if you should encounter one while camping and travelling in Svalbard. This thesis will give you an idea of things to consider when planning a trip to Svalbard. It will also cover what possibilities you have as an independent traveller or tour opera- tor. Some things are only available for permanent residents and local tour operators so it is not possible to initiate all sorts of activities as an independent traveller. In this the- sis you can also find a written report of the Svalbard Expedition. 3 2 Svalbard This chapter introduces Svalbard as a destination in tourism point of view. The main focus will be on amenities, settlements, attractions as well as history. Some main weather conditions that are present in the Svalbard archipelago will be also covered in this chapter. The fragile flora and fauna of the arctic will also be covered as well as ge- ographical location of the archipelago. Figure 1. Map of Svalbard (Arctic portal 2015.) 4 2.1 General Information Svalbard is the largest area of wilderness in Europe. Svalbard lies approximately 1000km south from the North Pole and 1000km north from mainland Norway in the middle of the Barents Sea. The archipelago area covers approximately 62,500 square kilometers with roughly 60 percent of the land area is covered by glaciation, 30 percent is harsh ground (rock, scree, moraines, fluvial sediments, etc) and remaining 10 percent is covered by vegetation. The archipelago of Svalbard consists of three main islands with Spitsbergen being the largest. Two other islands are Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Svalbard is almost entirely free of amenities such as urban infrastructure, restaurants and hotels. Only handful of these amenities are based in Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen island. Longyearbyen is the northernmost settlement of the world with approximately 2080 inhabitants. (Bradt 2013, VII, 3; Spitsbergen travel 2015.) Figure 2. Svalbard’s settlements (Unis 2015.) Svalbard is the largest wilderness area in Europe and it holds the northern most capital of the world. The name Svalbard means cold coasts and it was first mentioned in the Icelandic texts in the 12th century. The primary difference comparing to more devel- 5 opment parts of the world is that Svalbard is almost entirely absent of route descrip- tions, accommodations recommendations or restaurants. (Bradt 2013, VII.) The Sval- bard archipelago offers one of the widest arctic environments. It is estimated that there are approximately 3000 resident polar bears in the archipelago. (Visit Norway 2015.) 2.2 History Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz arrived in Svalbard in 1596 and named the largest main island Spitsbergen. After Barentsz’ had discovered Svalbard it launched a long era of international whaling and trapping initiated mainly by Netherlands and England. During the peak time there were more than 300 ships operating
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